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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Agricultural Experiment Station

BULLETIN NO. 279

THE TOXICITY OF SALT
FOR CHICKENS

By H. H. MITCHELL, L. E. CARD, AND G. G. CARMAN

The presence of small amounts of salt in various feeds for
poultry is not so dangerous as has commonly been believed.
This bird was raised on a ration containing 8 percent of salt.

URBANA, ILLINOIS, JULY, 1926

SUMMARY

Because of the general belief that chickens are very readily pois-
oned by common table salt, and because of the common occurrence of
salt in wastes and by-product feeds for poultry, it was considered im-
portant to determine definitely whether the use of such wastes and
feeds is dangerous to health or retards growth. This experiment was
planned, therefore, in order to determine (1) the maximum percentage
of salt that may be fed to growing chickens without harmful results,
and (2) the maximum single dose of salt that a chicken can tolerate,
or the smallest dose that would cause death.

In all, 75 chickens from three breeds were used. Fifty chickens
were given a basal ration made up of yellow corn, bran, dried butter-
milk, steamed bone meal, and ground limestone, containing percent-
ages of salt of 1, 2, 4, and 8. Twenty-five other chickens were used in
determining the maximum single dose of salt that an adult chicken
can tolerate.

It was found that chickens could be raised from 9 to 21 weeks of
age on rations containing as high as 8 percent of salt with no appar-
ently detrimental effects. While it took some time for the chickens to
become accustomed to such a salty ration, they soon learned to eat it
in amounts sufficient to promote a rate of growth approximately the
same as that of chickens fed the check ration.

When the salt was mixed in the feed, a daily intake of 6 to 8
grams of salt per bird appeared to have no harmful effect on the birds
that were 9 weeks old or older.

Salt put directly into the crop in two equal doses amounting to 12
to 16 grams daily was quickly fatal in the case of birds weighing 2 to
4 pounds each.

Salt given in solution twice daily proved to be more toxic than
equal amounts consumed in the feed.

The minimum lethal single dose of salt for birds weighing from 3
to 5 pounds was found to be close to 4 grams per kilogram of body
weight.

By H. H. MITCHELL, L. E. CARD, AND G. G. CARMAN'

It is a general belief among poultrymen that chickens are very
readily poisoned by common table salt, and many instances have been
reported in which chickens were killed by eating salt meat or fish,
salty kitchen wastes, or brine left from the curing of meat or from the
freezing of ice cream. It has been recommended by some writers that
the proportion of salt in a mash for chickens be no higher than 5 to 10
ounces to 100 pounds of mash when the mash mixture comprizes about
half the total ration, and that no salt be given to young stock until
they are two months old. However, only a few controlled experiments
concerned with a determination of the minimum lethal dose of salt for
chickens have been reported in the literature.

In 1892 Collier2 reported the results of feeding varying amounts of
salt to mature hens. No harmful results were noticed in these experi-
ments involving six hens until the intake of salt reached 0.063 ounce
per head per day. An intake of 0.042 ounce per head per day was not
accompanied by any noticeable symptoms. In 1909 Suffran3 attempted
to determine the minimum toxic dose of common salt for chickens.
From experiments on 5 chickens, he concluded that a dose of 4 grams
per kilogram of body weight is sufficient to produce death, tho one
chicken in the experiment resisted this dose successfully. Salt was ad-
ministered in solution and was injected into the crop after the meal.
The symptoms noticed were inability to stand, intense thirst, pro-
nounced muscular weakness, and convulsive movements just before
death. A viscous discharge from the beak was also noted. Post-
mortem examination revealed lesions in many organs, but particularly
hemorrhages and a severe congestion in the gastro-intestinal tract.

The attention of Edwards4 was directed toward the problem by
a case in which several ducks, pigs, and chickens were killed by being
fed the sweepings from the floor of a bakery, afterward found to con-
tain about 22 percent of salt. The symptoms noted in the chickens
were very similar to those above reported. An experiment was then

1H. H. Mitchell, Chief in Animal Nutrition; L. E. Card, Chief in Poultry
Husbandry; G. G. Carman, formerly Assistant in Animal Nutrition.

'Collier, Peter. N. Y. Agr. Exp. Sta. (Geneva), Bui. 39, N. S. 1892.

'Suffran, F. Rev. Gen. Med. Vet. 13, No. 156, 698-705. 1909. Exp. Sta.
Rec. 23, 793. 1910.

'Edwards, J. T. Jour. Compar. Path, and Ther. 31, 40-43. 1918.

135

136 BULLETIN No. 279 [.July,

performed upon three pigeons. Solutions containing 0.625, 1.25, and
2.50 grams of salt per kilogram of body weight, respectively, were in-
jected into the crops of the birds. No ill effects from these doses were
noted, except a temporary depression of the two birds given the largest
doses. Five days later the same birds received doses amounting to
2.50, 3.33, and 4.50 grams per kilogram of body weight. The bird re-
ceiving the highest dose died in 18 hours, the bird receiving the next
highest dose died in 23 hours, while the one receiving the smallest dose
showed no symptoms.

Other experiments concerned with the symptoms of salt poisoning
have been performed,1 but in these experiments no attempt was made
to determine the smallest toxic dose of salt. They need not, therefore,
be reviewed here.

The evidence bearing on the toxicity of salt for chickens is meager
and somewhat contradictory. Because of the common occurrence of
salt in domestic and industrial wastes and by-product feeds that are
occasionally or regularly fed to poultry, it is of importance to deter-
mine definitely whether the use of these wastes and feeds is a constant
source of danger to the poultry flock. The experiments reported in
this bulletin were undertaken, therefore, with two objects in view:
first, to determine the effect of varying percentages of salt in the ration
on the rate of growth of chickens; and second, to determine the small-
est dose that would cause death.

OUTLINE OF EXPERIMENT

Five lots of 10 chicks each at the poultry farm and five lots of 5
chicks each at the nutrition laboratory were fed a well-balanced basal
ration containing varying amounts of salt. Lot 1 at both the poultry
plant and the nutrition laboratory received 1 percent of salt in their
ration; Lot 2, 2 percent; Lot 3, 4 percent; Lot 4, 8 percent; and Lot
5, 1 percent with free access to rock salt. The lots fed at the poultry
farm were kept in shelters open to the south and had the run of lots
free from vegetation (Fig. 1). They were group-fed and were weighed
individually each week. Feed records were kept on all lots.

The chickens grown in the laboratory were confined in individual
pens having a floor space of 4 square feet. They were fed individu-
ally and were weighed weekly.

All lots had free access to feed at all times, and the chickens fed
individually at the nutrition laboratory were also given as much feed
as they would consume. It was hoped that all chickens in the experi-
ment could be selected from the same breed of birds at the same age,
but unfortunately this ideal could not be realized. Each lot kept at

'Heinz and Haas. Munchen. Med. Wchnschr. 70, 565-66. 1923.

1926]

THE TOXICITY OF SALT FOR CHICKENS

137

the poultry farm contained 5 White Wyandotte chickens and 5 White
Leghorn chickens. The chickens grown at the nutrition laboratory
were all Rhode Island Reds. The initial age of all chickens was 8
weeks. In the distribution of the birds among the several lots, the
number of cockerels and pullets in each lot was made the same.

FIG. 1. — EXPERIMENTAL FEEDING PENS AT THE POULTRY PLANT USED

FOR THE VARIOUS LOTS

Chicks fed at the poultry farm were Jtept in shelters open to the
south and had the run of the lots, which were free from vegetation.

The feeding experiment at the poultry farm was continued for 13
weeks and that at the nutrition laboratory for 12 weeks. At the end
of this time the birds were given salt either in capsules or in solution,
in order to determine the minimum amount they could tolerate in re-
peated doses and the minimum single toxic dose.

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

The rations used at the poultry farm and at the nutrition labora-
tory are given in Table 1. The lots at the farm and at the laboratory
receiving equal percentages of salt will be referred to by the same
numbers. Lot 5 differed from Lot 1 in having access to salt at all
times besides receiving 1 percent in its feed. It was found, however,
that these chickens did not consume any of the salt offered to them, or
if any was consumed it was so small an amount as to be obscured by
the changes in moisture content of the salt offered. The salt intake
of Lots 1 and 5 was therefore the same.

138

BULLETIN No. 279

[.July,

For the first week of the experiment all lots were fed the ration
containing 1 percent salt. On June 26, 1925, the lots were put upon the

TABLE 1. — BASAL RATION AND VARIATIONS IN SALT CONTENT FOR VARIOUS

LOTS OF CHICKENS

Feed

Lots
1 and 5

Lot 2

Lot3

Lot 4

Corn

Wheat bran

Dried buttermilk

Steamed bone meal

Calcium carbonate (CaCOs)

Common salt (NaCl)

Ninety-eight parts of the above mixture was in each case mixed with 2 parts of
cod-liver oil.

different experimental rations and kept under observation for 12 weeks
in the case of the birds at the poultry plant, and for 11 weeks in the
case of the birds in the nutrition laboratory.

EFFECT OF SALT ON GROWTH

The rate of growth of the White Wyandotte chickens from June
19 is shown graphically in Fig. 2, the growth of the White Leghorns in
Fig. 3, and the growth of the Rhode Island Red chickens in Fig. 4.
Among the lots kept at the poultry farm, the growth of Lots 1, 2, 3,
and 5 was very similar. Lot 4, receiving 8 percent of salt in its
ration, lagged somewhat behind the other lots in its rate of growth,
altho this is mainly due to a retardation of growth in the initial weeks
of the experiment because of the slow adjustment of the chickens to
the extremely salty ration. When the feed intake approximated that
of the other groups, the rate of growth was about the same as that
of the chickens getting smaller percentages of salt.

There was some mortality among the lots kept at the poultry
farm, but the cause of death seemed to be unrelated to the method of
feeding. In Lots 1, 2, and 3 there were no deaths, in Lot 4 one White
Wyandotte chicken died one week after experimental feeding started,
and in Lot 5 two White Leghorn chickens died 11 and 32 days, re-
spectively, after experimental feeding started. No abnormal symp-
toms referable to the salt intake were observed in any of the groups.
Group photographs of Lots 1 and 4 getting, respectively, 1 and 8 per-
cent of salt in their feed, are shown in Figs. 5 and 6. No differences
in the condition of the two groups of birds can be seen from a com-
parison of these photographs. Fig. 7 shows two of the individual birds
in Lot 4, one a White Leghorn and the other a White Wyandotte,1

'Most of the White Wyandottes used in this experiment, including the one
shown in Fig. 4, had single combs.

1926]

THE TOXICITT OF SALT FOR CHICKENS

139

TKe GrowtK of WKite Wyandotte Chickens on

Rations Differing Only in Their Content" of So.lt

Lot I I percent salt
Lot Z 2 " "
Lot i 4 "
Let 48""
Let 5 I

The GrowtK of Whute LegNorrx GKicker\s or\

RatioNs Differmg Or\ly ir\ TKeir Cor\Ter\t of Salt

Fig. 4

OrowtK of RKode Islorxd F\ed CMckerxs or\
Ratior\s Differing Only ir\ TKeir Content of Salt

140

BULLETIN No. 279

[July,

FIG. 5. — LOT 1 AFTER THIRTEEN WEEKS ON A RATION CONTAINING

1 PERCENT OF SALT

No difference could be observed in the condition of the birds
in Lot 1, which received 1 percent of salt, and Lot 4, which re-
ceived 8 percent (see Fig. 6).

FIG. 6. — LOT 4 AFTER THIRTEEN WEEKS ON A RATION CONTAINING

8 PERCENT OF SALT

The chickens in this lot lagged behind those in the other lots
in rate of growth, owing chiefly to retardation of growth in the
first weeks of the experiment before they became adjusted to the
extremely salty ration. When their feed intake approximated that
of the other groups, the rate of growth was about the same as for
the chickens receiving less salt.

1926] THE TOXICITY OF SALT FOR CHICKENS 141

taken at the end of the feeding test. The chickens in Lot 4, particu-
larly, drank and excreted large amounts of water, this fact accounting
for their untidy appearance.

The relative growth observed among the five lots of Rhode Island
Red chickens kept at the laboratory was very similar to that of the
birds kept at the poultry farm. The growth in Lot 4 again was some-
what slower than that in the lots getting smaller percentages of salt,
but after the birds became accustomed to the highly salty ration, the
growth in Lot 4 was quite as rapid as that in the other lots ; in fact it

FIG. 7. — INDIVIDUAL BIRDS FROM LOT 4 FED A RATION CONTAINING 8

PERCENT OF SALT

Even this extremely salty ration did not prove to be poisonous to
chickens that were eight weeks old when the experiment was started.
It was observed, however, that the chickens in this lot drank and ex-
creted large amounts of water.

was somewhat better than that observed in Lot 3, which received 4
percent of salt.

The mortality in these lots also seemed to bear no relation to
the method of feeding. One chicken in Lot 1 died after 6 weeks of
feeding, and 2 chickens in Lot 3 after 7 weeks of feeding. Continued
growth in the lots kept in the nutrition laboratory was prevented by
the appearance of leg weakness among many of the birds. Whether
this was due to the small percentage of cod-liver oil in the rations or
to the confinement of the birds in such small pens cannot be deter-
mined.1 It was entirely unrelated to the salt content of the diet. The
feeding experiment in the laboratory was discontinued one week sooner

'In an attempt to determine whether the leg weakness observed was due to
rickets the tibias and fibulas from each of 7 affected chickens and 5 unaffected
chickens were dissected out and analyzed for ash and calcium. The bones were
ground, dried, and extracted with ether before analysis. The bones from 3 of
the affected birds were normal in appearance and had a normal content of ash

142 BULLETIN No. 279 [July,

than that at the poultry farm, because of the prevalence of leg weak-
ness, which interfered seriously with the feeding of many of the birds.
The severity of this symptom is* illustrated by the three chickens
shown in Fig. 8.

The average gains and average feed records of the White Wyan-
dotte and White Leghorn chickens fed at the poultry farm are given

FIG. 8. — BIRDS RAISED IN INDIVIDUAL FEEDING PENS IN THE NUTRITION

LABORATORY

Leg weakness developed in many of the birds in the laboratory lots irre-
spective of the amount of salt in the rations.. This condition may have been
brought on by the small percentage of cod-liver oil in the rations, or by the
confinement of the birds in such small pens.

in Tables 2 and 3. The average daily gains of Lots 1 and 2 receiving
1 and 2 percent of salt in the feed, respectively, were not significantly
different for either breed. In Lot 3 the average daily gain of the White
Leghorns was slightly higher than the gains for the same breed in Lots
1 and 2. The White Wyandottes in Lot 3, however, gained on the
average rather distinctly less per day than the birds of the same breed
in Lots 1 and 2. In view of the great variability among the individual
gains of Lots 1 and 2, it is probable that the lower average gain in
Lot 3 bears no relation to the larger intake of salt. The average daily
gain of Lot 4, both with the White Wyandottes and White Leghorns,
was slightly less than the average gains of the other groups, probably
due to the longer time required by the chickens in this lot to become
accustomed to their ration. Lot 5, receiving the same ration as Lot 1,
gained on the average at a distinctly better rate, this being true of both
the White Wyandotte and White Leghorn chickens that survived thru-
out the feeding experiment.

and calcium. The bones from 2 of the affected birds were bent, but otherwise
normal in appearance, and showed a content of ash and calcium somewhat below
that of most of the bones from the unaffected birds.. The bones from 2 of the
affected birds were bent, soft at the ends, and possessed a distinctly subnormal
percentage of ash and calcium and a subnormal percentage of calcium in the ash.
The bones from the unaffected birds were perfectly normal in appearance and
contained an average of 58.95 percent ash and 22.35 percent calcium on the fat-
and moisture-free basis, and an average of 37.91 percent calcium in the ash.

THE TOXICITY OF SALT FOR CHICKENS

143

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144

BULLETIN No. 279

[July,

The average daily consumption of feed in the lots kept at the
poultry farm was practically the same for Lots 1, 2, 3, and 5, and
slightly less for Lot 4. The average amounts of feed required per
gram of gain were 6.67 grams for Lot 1, 6.72 grams for Lot 2, 6.80
grams for Lot 3, 7.01 grams for Lot 4, and 6.08 grams for Lot 5. These
figures are closely related, of course, to the average daily gains of the
lots — the greater the average daily gain, the smaller the average
amount of feed required per gram of gain.

The feed and weight records for the Rhode Island Red chickens
were obtained for each individual bird. These records with the group

TABLE 3. — FEED RECORDS FOR THE WHITE WYANDOTTE AND WHITE LEGHORN LOTS
Each lot contained 5 birds of each breed.

Lot 1

Lot 2

Lot 3

Lot 4

Lot5

Total feed

grams
71 552

grams
69 328

grams
69 765

grams
57 445

grams
61 314

Average daily feed.
Average daily gain .
Feed per gram gain

85.18
12.76
6.67

82.52
12.27
6.72

83.05
12.21
6.80

75.29
10.74
7.01

85.75
14.10
6.08

averages are given in Table 4. The average daily gains of the five
lots were, respectively, 11.64, 12.72, 9.60, 9.87, and 11.74 grams. The
average daily feed intakes for the five lots were 79.6. 81.8, 69.8, 76.2,
and 76.0 grams. The average economy of gains as expressed in the
amount of feed required per gram of gain was approximately the
same for Lots 1, 2, and 5, namely, 6.85, 6.50, and 6.66 grams, respect-
ively. The average economy of gains in Lots 3 and 4 was distinctly
less, namely, 7.99 and 7.80 grams of feed per gram of gain, tho some
of the individuals in these lots were as economical in the feed cost of
gains as individuals in the other lots.

It may be concluded from the results of these feeding experiments
that the rate and economy of gains in growing chickens is distinctly
retarded by 8 percent of salt in the diet, tho this effect is largely
due to a slow adjustment of the appetite of the chickens to such a
salty ration. It cannot definitely be concluded whether 4 percent of
salt in the diet retards the growth of chickens. Some evidence favor-
ing the belief that growth was retarded was obtained with White
Wyandottes and Rhode Island Red chickens, tho some of the individ-
ual gains obtained on the 4-percent salt ration were as high as or
higher than the gains secured on the ration containing only 1 percent
of salt. The Rhode Island Red chickens receiving 4 percent of salt
showed such great variation among the individual birds that the aver-
ages cannot be considered representative of the group.

1926~\

THE TOXICITY OF SALT FOR CHICKENS

145

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1926]

THE TOXICITY OF SALT FOR CHICKENS

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148

BULLETIN No. 279

{.July,

Information concerning the daily salt intake per bird and per kilo-
gram of body weight is contained in Table 5 for the White Wyandotte
and White Leghorn chickens, and in Table 6 for the Rhode Island Red
chickens, the individual data being given in the latter case. The aver-
age daily intake of salt for all groups ranges from 0.72 gram to 6.32
grams per kilogram of body weight. The average daily intake of salt

TABLE 5. — AVERAGE SALT INTAKE PER DAY AND PER KILOGRAM OF BODY WEIGHT
FOR THE WHITE WYANDOTTE AND WHITE LEGHORN CHICKENS
Each lot contained 5 birds of each breed.

Lot 1

Lot 2

Lot3

Lot 4

Lot 5

Average weight

grams
1 044

grams
1 064

grams
1 045

grams
955

grams
1 131

Average daily feed

85.18

82 52

83.05

75 29

85.75

Average daily salt intake .
Salt intake per kilogram
of body weight per day .

0.852
0.816

1.650
1.551

3.322
3.179

6.023
6.306

0.857
0.758

per bird for the lots getting 8 percent in their ration was 6.32 grams for
the Rhode Island Red chickens and 6.31 grams for the White Wyan-
dottes and White Leghorns. The largest intake of salt per kilogram of
body weight per day among the individual Rhode Island Red birds of
Lot 4 was 6.87 grams for bird No. 1.

The figures just considered refer to the average daily intake of
salt for the entire period of feeding. For the individual weeks of the
experiment the intake of salt was in general higher in the early
weeks. For example, in Lot 4 at the poultry farm, consisting of the
White Wyandotte and White Leghorn chickens, the average intake of
salt per kilogram of body weight per day for the first 4 weeks of the
experiment was, in order, 5.66, 8.37, 8.75, and 6.85 grams.

The daily intake of salt per kilogram of body weight for the indi-
vidual Rhode Island Red chickens in Lot 4 for all weeks of the experi-
ment will be found in Table 7. It is evident that some of the individ-
ual birds in this group tolerated 8 to 9 grams of salt per kilogram of
body weight per day without developing any pathological symptoms
or showing a markedly diminished rate of growth.

MINIMUM LETHAL DOSE OF SALT

At the conclusion of the feeding experiment the birds were given
varying doses of salt, either in the solid form in capsules, or in a 20-
percent solution, in order to determine the maximum amount of salt
that could be tolerated both in repeated doses and in single doses. In
the first tests undertaken in this connection, the birds were given two
doses a day at approximately 8:30 a. m. and 4:00 p. m. In these tests
the doses were not adjusted to the size of the bird, but in the last test
the doses were graduated according to the body weight.

1926'} THE TOXICITY OF SALT FOR CHICKENS 149

The first test, which was made upon Rhode Island Red chickens
from the laboratory lots, was concerned with the determination of the
maximum dosage of salt that could be tolerated by the birds when
given repeatedly at the rate of two doses a day. In the first day of
the test two doses of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 grams were given groups of 3
or more birds taken from Lots 1 to 5. The salt was given by pipette
in a 20-percent solution. During the test the birds had no access to
feed, but water was kept before them continually except when the
water containers became exhausted at night. All birds getting doses
of 6, 8, and 10 grams were dead either on the afternoon of the first
day or by morning of the second day. None of the birds getting 2-
and 4-gram doses died during the first day. The birds surviving on
the morning of the second day were therefore divided into two lots and
given, respectively, 4- and 6-gram doses. Of those getting 6-gram
doses, 5 survived two doses only, and 2 survived four. Of the birds
getting 4-gram doses, 2 survived four doses only, 1 survived six doses,
and the other bird, which was the lightest in the lot, tolerated two
4-gram doses daily for about a month with no apparent detriment.
The results of the test are summarized in Table 8. The body weights
given in this table were the final weights of the birds in the feeding
experiment, which terminated exactly one week before this test was
started.

The symptoms of the birds that died were very similar to those
that have been reported in the literature. Intense thirst accompanied
the treatment in all cases, and death was preceded by a period of ap-
parent stupor in which the bird stood or squatted with closed eyes and
hanging head. No pronounced convulsions were noted preceding death.

Thru the courtesy of the Laboratory of Animal Pathology and
Hygiene, 9 of the birds that succumbed in this test were given post-
mortem examination by Dr. E. A. Tunnicliff. The mucous membrane
of the digestive tube was in all cases found to be irritated, as evidenced
by hyperemia, petechia, 'or ecchymosis of the blood vessels. Conges-
tion of the liver was a constant finding.

It is evident from this test that 8 grams of salt per day could not
be tolerated continuously by a majority of chickens. Doses larger
than 8 grams per day were quickly fatal.

In continuing the experiments in the individual dosing of birds
with salt, the question arose as to whether the consumption of feed
had anything to do with the survival period of the birds. The second
test was therefore concerned with determining whether a difference in
susceptibility to salt poisoning exists between birds in a fasting and a
fed condition. Three groups of 6 birds each taken from Lots 1 to 5
at the poultry farm were given, respectively, twice daily, 4-, 5-, and
6-gram doses of salt. In each of the three groups 3 of the birds were

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THE TOXICITY OF SALT FOR CHICKENS

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BULLETIN No. 279

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THE TOXICITY OF SALT FOR CHICKENS

153

fasted during the test while the 3 remaining birds were given access to
feed. The results of this test are summarized in Table 9.

The results do not show any marked differences in the survival
period, whether the birds were fasting or had access to feed. A slight
difference favoring the fasting birds may be noted, but it is question-
able whether the difference is significant in view of the different be-
havior among birds given the same treatment. All doses proved to
be rather quickly fatal, except in the case of one bird receiving 8
grams of salt daily, which survived for 10 days. The salt in this test
was fed in the solid form and was administered in capsules.

A third test, the results of which are summarized in Table 10,
was concerned with the toxicity of 3-, 4-, and 5-gram doses of salt
given twice daily. While the results indicate an increased mortality
with increasing dosage, it is evident that even the smallest dose could
not be tolerated by these birds for any great length of time, altho the
birds in Lot 4 consumed an average of over 6 grams of salt daily
thruout the feeding experiment.

TABLE 8. — MINIMUM LETHAL REPEATED DOSE OF SALT FOR RHODE ISLAND

RED CHICKENS
(Doses given twice daily, approximately 8:30 a. m. and 4:00 p. m.)

Bird No.

Lot

Body
weight1

Size
of
dose

Number of
doses taken
before death

2..

grams
1 380

grams
4

1 590

1 320

indefinite4

1 500

1 450

1 360

1 850

1 560

880

1 190

1 430

1 300

1 400

1 300

5....

1 640

1 190

1 745

'These weights were taken 7 days before the first dosage of salt.
2Received 2 dose i of 2 grams of salt the day before.
'Received 2 doses of 4 grams of salt the day before.

4This chicken was given 4 grams of salt twice daily, for almost a month, at the
end of which time it was in good condition.

154

BULLETIN No. 279

[.July,

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1926]

THE TOXICITY OF SALT FOR CHICKENS

155

In the tests so far reported, no attention was paid to the body
weights of the birds, tho a study of the survival periods does not indi-
cate that the heavier birds were markedly more resistant to salt than
lighter birds given the same treatment. In the next two tests, how-
ever, the dosage was given in proportion to the live weight of the
birds. In the first of these tests, three groups of 4 birds each were
given, respectively, 2, 4, and 6 grams of salt per kilogram of body
weight, the salt being administered in a 20-percent solution. Only one
dose was given in this case, the attempt being to find the minimum
lethal single dose of salt. All of the birds getting the 6-gram dose per

TABLE 10. — MINIMUM LETHAL REPEATED DOSE OF SALT FOR WHITE WYANDOTTE

AND WHITE LEGHORN CHICKENS
(Doses given twice daily, approximately 8:30 a. m. and 4:00 p. m.)

Breed

Lot

Bird
No.

Body
weight1

Size
of
dose

Number of
doses taken
before death

Leghorn

grams
1 470

grams
3

Leghorn

1 330

Wyandotte

1 300

Leghorn . .

1 640

Wyandotte

1 990

Wyandotte

2 120

Leghorn

1 470

Wyandotte

1 700

Leghorn

1 230

Leghorn

1 600

Wyandotte

1 610

Leghorn

1 400

Wyandotte

1 670

Leghorn

1 220

Wyandotte ....

1 670

Leghorn

1 230

Wyandotte

2 120

Leghorn

1 690

Wyandotte

1 780

'These were the final weights of the birds in the feeding experiment which ended
7 days before the test reported upon in this table.

kilogram of body weight and two of those getting the 4-gram dose
were dead within 24 hours. All other birds survived the treatment.
The test indicated that the minimum single lethal dose was close to
4 grams per kilogram of body weight.

In an attempt to determine the minimum lethal dosage more defi-
nitely, 6 birds from the White Wyandotte and White Leghorn groups
were given, first, a single dose of 3 grams of salt per kilogram of body
weight; no deaths occurred in the following 72 hours. At the end of
this time they Vere given a second dose of 4 grams of salt per kilo-

156 BULLETIN No. 279

gram of body weight, and at the end of 72 hours all birds were still
alive. A third dose of 5 grams per kilogram of body weight was then
administered, and within the following 24 hours 5 of the 6 birds had
died with symptoms typical of salt poisoning. The remaining bird was
unaffected. This test indicates rather clearly that 4 to 5 grams of salt
per kilogram of body weight is close to the minimum lethal single dose
of salt when administered in solution. There is no reason to suppose
that these results would have been different if salt in solid form had
been given, provided free access to water had been permitted, as was
done in all the tests here reported. However, the preceding test indi-
cates that 4 grams of salt per kilogram of body weight in a single dose
may be fatal to some birds.

CONCLUSIONS

Chickens may be raised from 9 to 21 weeks of age on rations con-
taining as high as 8 percent of salt with no apparent detrimental ef-
iects on their condition. Furthermore, after the birds have become
accustomed to such salty rations, they will consume them in such
amounts as to promote a rate of growth approximating that of birds
receiving much smaller percentages of salt in their feed.

A daily intake of salt in the feed of 6 to 8 grams per bird appears
to exert no harmful effect in birds of 9 weeks or more in age.

For birds weighing from 2 to 4 pounds each, 12 to 16 grams of
sajt daily administered directly in the crop in two equal doses is
quickly fatal. Eight grams of salt daily, given in two doses, can ordi-
narily be tolerated for as long as 5 days, and occasionally indefinitely.
However, even on this dosage death within 24 hours may occur in some
cases. Six grams per day given in two portions is generally tolerated
for 5 to 6 days, tho in a small proportion of cases death results much
sooner.

Salt administered in solution twice daily cannot be tolerated so
well as equal amounts of salt ingested with the feed. However, the
consumption of feed after the administration of toxic doses of salt by
injection into the crop, does not alleviate the symptoms produced nor
prolong the life of the bird to an appreciable extent.

The minimum lethal single dose of salt for birds weighing from
3 to 5 pounds is close to 4 grams per kilogram of body weight. Most
of the birds so treated survive, tho a few may succumb within 24
hours. Birds given 3 grams of salt per kilogram of body weight sur-
vive the treatment.

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA

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